Hi everyone! Gosh this weekend went by in the blink of an eye, didn’t it?! The Midwest is facing a serious arctic blast. Schools and business are closed today – I think the entire state of Minnesota is cancelled – so I spent the past few days indoors working, playing with my sweet babe, and laying low. It was fabulous!

Oh, we rented The Heat with Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock on Saturday night. I laughed out loud the entire two hours while Ben proclaimed it to be one of the worst movies he’s ever seen. What?! I’m calling shenanigans. If you’re in need of a laugh, definitely rent it. You’re welcome.

Anyway, the frigid temps are supposed to continue this week (today’s high is negative two. Yes. High.) making leaving the house, even to go to the grocery store, very unappealing. If you’re in the same boat I’ve got an awesome recipe for you to try: Thai Peanut Chicken Quinoa Bowls!

I’ve professed that in the past I made a TON of bad Pad Thai. Like, really, really bad. It was thick, gloopy, and the furthest thing from appetizing. After Ben politely put the kibosh on my peanut noodle problem, I went back to the kitchen and re-mastered the sauce once and for all. The result was a perfectly peanutty, savory sauce that doesn’t coat the noodles, rather, gets absorbed by them. So, so delicious.

Quinoa is actually a seed and is very healthy. In addition to cooking it in chicken broth with a hit of garlic and parmesan cheese as a side dish for dinner, I like to occasionally use it in place of rice or pasta, like in this dish, since it’s high in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Quinoa is very easy to cook, too, and is ready in 15 minutes.

Quinoa is naturally coated in a bitter substance called saponin which needs to be rinsed off. Just add the quinoa to a fine mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water. I go an extra step and line my sieve with cheesecloth because I’m insane and hate to lose even a single seed through the mesh!

After rinsing the quinoa, add it to 1-1/2 cups chicken broth then bring to a boil, place a lid on top, turn the heat down to low, and simmer until all the broth is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork then set aside to cool slightly.

My #1 rule for stir frying is to make sure all your ingredients are prepped and ready to go before you start cooking. The actual stir fry process goes too quickly to be chopping or measuring in the middle of it!

Time to start cookin’! Heat 1 teaspoon peanut oil (or vegetable or coconut oil) in a large wok or skillet over high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper then add to the wok and stir fry until no longer pink. Remove to a place then set aside.

Heat another teaspoon peanut oil in the wok then add the coleslaw mix, shelled frozen edamame, and green onions. Stir fry until just becoming tender then push to the outsides of the wok.

In the center of the wok add the egg whisked with sesame oil then stir until just barely scrambled.

Finally, add the cooked quinoa and chicken back into the wok along with the chopped peanuts and sauce.

Directions

Add rinsed quinoa to a small saucepan with the chicken broth then bring to a boil, place a lid on top, turn heat to low and cook until quinoa has absorbed chicken broth, about 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork then set aside. (Can be done ahead of time.)

Combine all sauce ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl then microwave for 20 seconds. Stir until smooth then set aside. Whisk together egg and sesame oil in a small bowl then set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper then add to wok and stir fry until no longer pink. Remove to a plate then set aside.

127 Comments [+]

“The Heat” is SO funny! Love that movie!
But, I love this Thai Peanut Quinoa Bowl more! Swapping out noodles with quinoa is such a genius idea! I can only imagine how good it is with a little crunch from the peanuts with the creamy peanut sauce. Hello yummy!

These are the times I wish my fork could go through the screen. That looks SO good! My husband and I actually just moved to Chicago from Dallas and it is a whopping -15 outside today with a -40 windchill. Seriously. Being a Texan this cold just feels evil to me. Of course our first winter would be the worst they have had in years LOL I’m glad I have healthy recipes like these when all I want to warm up is macaroni and cheese

Yep. Minnesota is cancelled. Except for the gym I work at. It’s January, so you better believe people made it to the gym…even though my phone told me it was -26 with a windchill of -49 when I drove into work. #crazy

This recipe looks amazing! I love me some thai food and I’d love to try to make my own at home! Pinning and adding this to my weekly favorites! :)

Oh my word…this looks so yummy! Can’t wait to try it! Came at the best time…right before I headed to the grocery store for dinner items. And I’ll have to check out “The Heat”. I like Melissa McCarthy! She’s always good for a laugh!

I saw this while eating my bordering-on-boring salad with quinoa for lunch at work today – and did I sure wish it was this delicious looking bowl instead! For some reason in our house we love Asian-inspired meals, but only think to make them every now and again. Lucky for us, when the craving hits we already have a bunch of the ingredients (sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce etc.) on hand!

Eating a bowl of this right now! So delicious and pretty simple to make once everything is prepped. I love the quinoa instead of heavy rice or noodles and the peanut sauce has a great consistency and flavor balance. Looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Made this today – totally delicious! My husband and I WOLFED this down…kinda embarassing, actually, but it was so amazing! Subbed in peas (that’s what I had) and I just finely sliced green cabbage and grated some carrots out the garden since I didn’t have the mix. It’s a keeper!

Delicious, made this tonight and substituted grated carrots and green beans as no slaw mix on hand. But delicious. Loved the sauce and am going to marinade some chicken in it for my daughter. Thank you for how to cook quinoa properly – came out perfect! Yum yum!

This looks delicious! I am wondering how long things like balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, white cooking wines etc keep for once opened? I know they are not all in this recipe it just reminded me I meant to ask:-)

Olive oil can last 2 years if kept tightly capped – balsamic vinegar up to 5 years if kept in a cool dry place (per Old Town Oil: http://www.oldtownoil.com/faq) I’d go by the “use by” date on the soy sauce bottle!

I will have to try this. I pretty much love anything covered in peanut sauce. I made another quinoa recipe with peanut sauce recently that you might like. I like to cheat and precook quinoa in my ricecooker so I can take a cup for lunches, add different veggie & sauces so I don’t get sick of eating a big batch of something.

Shared this one with my yoga peeps. Delicious and can be made Vegan with vegetable broth and tofu:) Made it tonight. Yummy Yummy!!!!! Next time I may garnish with cilantro like in your picture. Happy heat wave starting tomorrow:) Yippee!!!

[…] Thai Peanut Chicken Quinoa Bowls. I have been having a thing for Thai food in general, but pad thai to be more specific lately. I just can’t get enough. I feel like I need to have it at least once a week lately. Kristen substituted quinoa for rice noodles in this popular dish. I think it’s calling my name this weekend. […]

I just made a vegetarian version of this recipe, substituting black beans and garbanzo beans for the chicken and it was fabulous!! Thanks for the great recipe once again :) This was a hit with all my family members!

I picked up all the ingredients for Thai Peanut Chicken Bowls this weekend, but HyVee in West Des Moines was all out of Chili Garlic Sauce:( I have a feeling all your readers had the same idea I did…looks so tasty, I’ll have to improvise!!!

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hi, i’m kristin!

I'm a Midwestern wife and Mom of two little boys. After being diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2013, Iowa Girl Eats is a place I share delicious and approachable gluten-free recipes made with everyday, in-season ingredients. Visit my Recipe Index for inspiration!MORE ABOUT ME

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